Two cloaked figures, their faces hidden due to the straw hats they were wearing, approached the village. Upon getting closer, they noticed the damage done to it.

"Looks like your old home hasn't been doing well," laughed the taller figure.

"Hn," grunted the shorter figure. "Stay focused. Remember our mission."

The taller figure let out a sinister laugh as they entered the village. Luckily for them because everyone was busy with repairs, they could just walk in without being stopped. They soon came upon a small teashop and decided to stop for a drink. While there, they over heard a conversation between three Jonin. It seemed that their objective was no longer in the village.

Paying for their tea, the two figures stood and made their way out of the village. They only made it as far as a small river though as they were stopped by Asuma and Kurenai.

"Something about our conversation must have been very important to you if you want to leave so soon," said Asuma.

"Hehehe, you could say something like that," said the taller figure as he reached for his hat.

The two figures took off their hats to reveal themselves. The taller one was very strange looking, with blue skin and shark-like appearance. The other one looked like an older version of Sasuke and even had the Sharingan.

"Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi," stated Asuma with a frown.

"You hear that, Itachi? They've heard of us!" laughed Kisame with a sharp-toothed grin. "I say we kill them."

No more words were spoken as the battle commenced. Asuma drew his trench knives to try and combat Kisame, but unfortunately the former Kirigakure shinobi was much stronger. It also didn't help that his blade was somehow able to absorb Asuma's chakra. Kurenai wasn't doing any better with Itachi as the Uchiha nullified every genjutsu she used. The battle was short-lived as Asuma and Kurenai were vastly outclassed.

"It seems the skill of the shinobi have changed since I was last here," stated Itachi, his face emotionless.

"This is getting boring, Itachi. Let's just finish these weaklings off and find the Yondaime's Legacy!" exclaimed Kisame as he raised his sword.

Before the shark man could do anything though, Kakashi appeared and got Kurenai and Asuma out of the way.

"Sorry I'm a little late," said the scarecrow. "I had some business to take care of real quick."

Kisame gave off a shark-like grin. "Looks like I've found another toy to play with. It's going to be fun killing you."

Just as Kisame stepped forward though, Itachi held him back.

"You won't be able to fight Kakashi head on without getting injured, Kisame," stated the Uchiha as he stepped forward. "I shall be the one to fight him. You finish off the other two."

Kisame grinned once more as he turned to the other two Jonin. Once again though he was interrupted when Mei appeared in front of him.

"What the hell?! What are you doing here?!" demanded Kisame, surprised to see the redheaded woman.

"That is none of your business, Kisame," said Mei with a frown. "But since we are in the same vicinity, it only makes sense that I will be the one to kill you. You are Kirigakure's responsibility after all."

Kisame let out a roar as he charged forward, wanting to slice the woman in half. She was faster though and was able to dodge the swing of his blade. She then blew out a stream of vapor, hoping to corrode Kisame's weapon. Just like Mei though, Kisame was able to dodge…barely as the edge of his cloak was hit.

"Insolent bitch! I'm going to kill you!" exclaimed the shark with a glare.

It was then that a scream of immense pain shot through the air. Everyone turned to the source to see Kakashi collapse into the water.

"Kakashi!" called out Kurenai, worried for her friend.

"Hehehehe, it looks like Itachi won. Time for you weaklings to meet the same fate as your friend!" laughed Kisame.

Kisame would have pulled off his threat if it hadn't been for the timely arrival of Maito Gai, who had kicked Kisame away.

"Maito Gai to the rescue!" exclaimed the "youthful" Jonin with a nice guy pose.

"About time you got here, Gai," muttered Asuma. "We need to get Kakashi out of here now."

"You won't be doing anything!" snarled Kisame. Itachi once again held him back when the Uchiha spoke up.

"This battle has gone on long enough, Kisame, and we were not here for this. We must take our leave now!"

Kisame let out a growl, angry that he wasn't going to kill anyone right now, but heeded Itachi's orders. Mei and the Konoha Jonin were about to stop them, but were too slow as the two nukenin vanished.

"Damn it. They got away!" said Asuma with a growl.

"There's nothing we can do about that, Asuma," said Kurenai. "We need to get Kakashi to the hospital!"

"Right. Gai, can you carry Kakashi?" questioned Asuma.

"Of course!"

Gai quickly went over to Kakashi and gently hefted the scarecrow over his shoulder. With Kakashi secured, the four went to the hospital as fast as they could.

-:-

With Naruto, he, Jiraiya, and Chojuro were making their way to a post-station a short distance away from the village. While making their way there, Naruto was having a mental conversation with the Kyubi.

"Oi, Kyubi!"

"What do you want, Kit?"

"When we fought Shukaku and transformed into you, he called you Kurama. Why'd he call you that?"

The Kyubi let out a growl that sounded almost as if he was cursing the sand tanuki. "It's none of your business, Kit."

The blond gave off a mental pout. "That's not fair! I want to know why he called you Kurama! Is that your real name? If it is, why didn't you tell me? I would have called you that instead of Kyubi or furball."

"…You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope!"

Letting out another growl, Kyubi relented. "Hai, my name is indeed Kurama. The only reason I hadn't told you was because I hadn't fully trusted you yet. All of the Biju have real names, but we won't reveal them to just anyone. I'm also not going to tell you those names. That's for them to decide on whether or not to reveal them."

"How come Shukaku's name is known by everyone then?"

"Because he's an arrogant little shit who wants people to fear him. Now no more questions. That pervert you call a sensei is speaking."

"Alright you two! We'll be stopping at a nearby post-station for a little bit."

"Ne, Ero-sennin! Think we could get some ramen while we're here?"

"I was actually hoping we could get something else to eat, Naruto. I don't really care much for oily foods," said Chojuro as he rubbed the back of his head.

The young blond though tilted his head in confusion. "Then how come you're always at Ichiraku Ramen if you don't like oily food?"

The swordsman gained a slight blush. "Well I…that is to say…"

A sly smile crept onto Naruto's face when he saw the blush and how nervous Chojuro looked. "You have a crush on Ayame-neechan, don't you?"

"N-Nani?! N-No! That's not it!" denied Chojuro, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

Jiraiya had to hold back his laughter as he listened to Naruto tease Chojuro about his crush on the ramen girl, while the swordsman kept denying it. The two really acted a lot like brothers.

'Bet Mei would get a kick out of that,' thought the sage with a smirk as the three enter the small town.

-:-

Back in Konoha, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and Mei were in Kakashi's hospital room. While Kakashi was in a coma due to Itachi's technique, they were discussing why Itachi had come back to Konoha in the first place.

"It just doesn't make sense. There's nothing here for Itachi after what he did all those years ago," said Kurenai.

"I have to agree. What could possess Itachi to risk his life by returning to the village that has condemned him?" questioned Gai as he crossed his arms.

"More importantly, why would he join forces with Hoshigaki Kisame of all people?" wondered Mei.

"They were wearing the same style of robes. Could it be possible that they joined an unknown village?"

Asuma turned to Kurenai. "Doubtful. Though I think I know why they were here."

"Then speak up, Asuma! What could they possibly want!" exclaimed Gai.

The chain smoker let out a sigh. Leave it to Gai to be loud even in a hospital. "It's not what they want, but who they want and I get the feeling they want Naruto."

Mei became tense at that. "Naruto? What makes you think it is Naruto that they want?"

"Before you arrived Kisame mentioned something about finding the Yondaime's Legacy. After he died, the Yondaime unfortunately became well known for one thing amongst the village," explained Asuma.

"The sealing of the Kyubi!" gasped Kurenai.

"Exactly. Because of that, they are looking for Naruto," finished the former Guardian.

As they were discussing this, many thoughts ran through Mei's head. Most thoughts were of running after Naruto and keeping him safe in her arms. Other thoughts were of melting Itachi and Kisame for even thinking they could harm her nephew. She was about to say something when Asuma finished his explanation, but was interrupted when the door opened to reveal Sasuke.

"What happened to Kakashi?" questioned the young Uchiha. "I had heard that he was put in hospital, but no one knows why. What happened?"

"He was sparring with Gai and Gai went a little overboard," replied Asuma, the lie coming easily. There was no way he was going to let Sasuke learn that Itachi was here.

"It's true! Oh Kakashi, I'm so sorry!" cried Gai, getting in on the lie. This of course made Asuma, Kurenai, and Mei sweatdrop.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Something didn't feel right. He was about to call them out on it when one Yamashiro Aoba burst into the room.

"Is it true that Itachi had returned and was looking for Naruto?!" questioned the Jonin, looking worried.

It was silent. The other Jonin and Mei gave Aoba exasperated looks at his screw up. Aoba wondered why they were giving him that look, but when he noticed Sasuke in the room, it all made sense. Speaking of Sasuke, he went stiff as a board at the mention of Itachi.

"What do you mean Itachi is looking for Naruto?" demanded the Uchiha as he glared at the Jonin.

Before Aoba could come up with a lie, Sasuke bolted out of the room.

"Way to go, Aoba," muttered Asuma.

"You make it sound like I did that on purpose!"

With Sasuke, he was running around the village looking for Naruto, knowing that if he found him he'd find Itachi. Going to Naruto's apartment first, he found that the blond wasn't there, which meant he was most likely at the ramen shop. Heading to Ichiraku Ramen, Sasuke found that Naruto wasn't there either, but learned that Naruto had mentioned that he was leaving the village with Jiraiya. Not even thinking about the consequences, Sasuke left and ran out of the village in hopes of catching up with Itachi before he could lose him.

-:-

Back with Naruto's group, they arrived in the small village and made their way to a nearby hotel. As Jiraiya was signing them in, a very beautiful lady walked by and garnered his attention.

"Don't even think about it, Ero-sennin! You're supposed to be teaching me a new jutsu remember?" exclaimed Naruto as he glared at the old man.

"Quiet, gaki! I'm not passing this up. Besides, I can't teach you the jutsu until you have better chakra control. So go to the hotel room and practice molding your chakra. I've got a date!" said Jiraiya, a perverted grin on his face as he said the last part.

The young blond's eye twitched in annoyance as Jiraiya walked off with the woman. "Stupid Ero-sennin."

"Don't worry, Naruto. If you need help, I can help you," said Chojuro, gaining the boy's attention.

"Really?" questioned Naruto. When Chojuro nodded, Naruto was ecstatic. "Yatta! Let's get started then!"

Naruto grabbed the room key and started to drag the swordsman to the room. When they got there, Naruto wasted no time in starting his training. He had some trouble due to his poor chakra control combined with his immense chakra pool, but Chojuro was able to help him with what he could.

'It's amazing how such a young boy has so much chakra. Then again he is a jinchuriki. It might take a long time for him to truly control his chakra' thought Chojuro as he continued to give tips.

This went on for an hour or so until there was a knock at the door.

"Must be Ero-sennin. Damn pervert must have forgot that he didn't have a key," said Naruto as he made his way towards the door.

Opening the door, Naruto was greeted not by the Toad Sage but by a pair of blood red eyes.

"Hello, Naruto-kun."

Naruto wasn't sure whom this guy was, but by how Kurama was growling within the seal, this man must have been bad news.

"Naruto! Get out of the way!"

Doing what he was told, Naruto quickly dodged as Chojuro swung the Hiramekarei. The blade crashed through the wall and sliced through Itachi, only to reveal that the Itachi was a fake. Both Chojuro and Naruto then entered the hallway to confront the Uchiha.

"This is a surprise. Didn't think I'd see that blade here," said Kisame with a grin as he came into view.

Chojuro's eyes widened as he saw the shark man. "Hoshigaki Kisame?"

"Who's that?" questioned Naruto as he got on guard.

"A former shinobi of Kirigakure and wielder of the Samehada, one of the seven swords used by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," explained Chojuro as he glared at Kisame. "Why are you here, Kisame?"

Kisame's grin became a little wider. "I'm here for that brat standing next to you, but I guess I could indulge in fighting you. I can find out if you're worthy of having that blade, you little weakling."

Chojuro didn't have a chance to reply as Kisame came at him. Chojuro cursed at this because as swords clashed, Naruto was left to deal with Itachi.

"What do you guys want with me?" demanded Naruto, glaring at the emotionless Uchiha.

"I'm sure you can figure it out on your own, Naruto-kun," replied Itachi.

"Be careful, Kit. This man has the Sharingan," stated Kurama with a growl.

"Sharingan? So this guy is related to Sasuke?"

"Probably, but this guy is much stronger."

"Itachi!"

The sudden shout caught everyone's attention. They all turned to the source to see Sasuke, glaring hatefully at Itachi.

"Oi, Itachi! Who's this kid?" questioned Kisame.

Itachi kept his eyes on Sasuke. "He's my younger brother."

No more was said as Sasuke activated his Chidori. "Itachi, I've lived my life like you told me to: I've resented you, and hated you, and now I am going to kill you!"

Charging forward, Sasuke planned on killing Itachi with one blow. Unfortunately for him, Itachi was vastly superior to him and was able to catch his wrist.

"Foolish little brother. You still have a long way to go if you wish to kill me."

With that, a loud crack echoed through the hall, followed by Sasuke's wails of pain from having his wrist broken.

"Sasuke!" called out Naruto.

"Hehehe, nice going, Itachi. Guess while you handle your brother, I get to play with these two," stated Kisame as he turned back to Naruto and Chojuro.

Chojuro though was exhausted. Being one of the Seven Swordsmen, he knew of Samehada's powers and he was definitely feeling the effects after battling Kisame. He had to finish this now and protect Naruto with everything he had.

'I won't let Mei-sama down! I will defeat Kisame and protect Naruto with my life!'

He got ready to defend and fight, but as he tried to stand Chojuro fell back on his knee. Kisame took this chance to finish off the boy and was about to bring down Samehada.

'No! It can't end like this!'

His attack though was suddenly blocked by the arrival of a large orange toad.

'What just happened?' wondered Chojuro.

"What the hell is this?!" demanded Kisame with a growl.

"You thought you could hold me off with such a simple genjutsu?" questioned a voice Naruto knew very well. "You can't get anything past the Great Gallant Jiraiya!"

Naruto, Chojuro, and Kisame look over to the source to see Jiraiya standing at the other side of the hall with the woman he met earlier passed out over his shoulder.

"J-Jiraiya-sama," muttered Chojuro.

"Oi, Naruto. Keep an eye on Chojuro while I take care of this overgrown fish," stated Jiraiya with an air of seriousness.

Naruto didn't have time to argue as Jiraiya and Kisame began to fight. On the other side of the hallway, Itachi was beating Sasuke severely.

"It was foolish of you to come here, Sasuke," stated Itachi. 'Especially since I know you came here without permission. What were you thinking?!'

"I n-needed to avenge my family!" panted Sasuke, his body in a lot of pain.

"…I think you need to see that you are still no match for me."

Itachi's Sharingan changed in appearance, to that of a three-point pinwheel. The next thing Sasuke knew was that he was reliving the massacre of the Uchiha Clan over and over. The younger Uchiha cried out in pain and horror as the mental torture was becoming too much for him.

Jiraiya, seeing what was going on, decided to end this. "Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari!"

After doing the necessary hand signs, Jiraiya slammed his hand down on the ground to activate the summoning. Unlike other summonings though, this one didn't summon an animal but changed the scenery around them. The walls became fleshy and organic. What's more was that Sasuke was absorbed into the wall, no longer in Itachi's grasp.

"What the hell is this?" questioned Kisame. He swung Samehada, thinking he could cut whatever this was, but soon found his blade stuck in the flesh and starting to get absorbed. "Oi! Let go!"

Jiraiya let out a few chuckles. "It won't do you any good. We're inside the esophagus of a great fire-breathing toad. Soon you'll be nothing but lunch for him."

Itachi looked back at Jiraiya and then towards Kisame, who was finally able to dislodge Samehada. "Kisame, we must take our leave."

The shark man let out a growl, not wanting to leave, but knew better than to argue with Itachi. The two nukenin regrouped and made their escape, with Jiraiya, Naruto, and Chojuro trying to follow.

The three turned the corner where Itachi and Kisame were sure to be, but only found a large hole in the wall with flames black as coal on the edges.

"What the?! How did they escape?!" questioned Naruto.

"Not sure, but I think it has something to do with these flames," said Jiraiya as he stepped closer to the hole. The Toad Sage took out a scroll and opened it. On the scroll was a seal for fire, which he used to actually seal away the black flames. "I'll need to study these flames to find out what exactly they are."

With that done, the three made their way to Sasuke, where Jiraiya released the summoning to dislodge the boy.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" questioned Chojuro.

"…To be honest, it's doubtful. From what I do know about the Sharingan, Itachi must have used a technique known as Tsukuyomi. It's a very powerful genjutsu that can break even the most strong-willed minds," explained Jiraiya, a grim look on his face.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Naruto, worried about his teammate.

"All we can do is find Tsunade. She might be the only one who can heal the damage done."

"Then let's get moving!" exclaimed the blond with much gusto.

Nodding in agreement, Jiraiya told Chojuro to carry the Uchiha. He then turned to lead the group out of the hotel…only to receive a kick to the face that sent him flying into the opposite wall. Chojuro and Naruto stood there stunned by what happened and was shaken out of it when a boisterous voice started yelling.

"Take that, Itachi! I, Maito Gai, am here to stop you!"

Naruto and Chojuro gave the man in green blank looks as the Jonin did his "nice guy pose". Jiraiya on the other hand glared and wished death on the man.

"Do I look like Itachi, Gai?!" demanded Jiraiya, his voice rising up a few notches on the decibel meter.

"Ah, Jiraiya-sama! It's good to see you again!" exclaimed Gai. "Where are Itachi and that other ninja?"

"They escaped long before you got here," growled Jiraiya. "What are you doing here any way?!"

"Well…"

The group made their way to the village entrance as Gai explained what was going on.

"So Kakashi is in a coma and that brat found out about Itachi and came here to fight him like a fool, huh?"

"That is correct, Jiraiya-sama! I was sent to retrieve Sasuke and return him to the village ASAP!"

Naruto clenched his fists in anger. "So not only did that teme hurt Sasuke with that genjutsu, but he also got Kakashi-sensei as well? Next time I see him I'm kicking his ass!"

"Train hard and I'm sure you'll be able to do it, Naruto-kun! In fact, I have something that might help you!"

Gai, who currently had the comatose Sasuke on his back, reached into his weapon pouch and pulled out something that made Naruto, Chojuro, and Jiraiya just stop and stare. It was a bright green one-piece spandex suit similar to what he and Lee wear.

"…Gai, what the hell is wrong with you?" questioned Jiraiya.

"And I thought there were some weird people in Kirigakure," muttered Chojuro.

"I'm going to have to pass, Gai-sensei. Besides, I prefer wearing orange over green," said Naruto.

"I see. Ah well! Until next time I guess!" exclaimed Gai with a gleaming smile. He then turned towards the direction of Konohagakure. "Good luck in your search you three!"

With that, the "youthful" Jonin dashed off, leaving behind the others. They then turned to head off to the next town. As they walked, Naruto had a question that he wanted answers for.

"Ne, Ero-sennin, who exactly were those two?"

"…They were Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, Naruto. Both of them are a part of a group known as the Akatsuki."

"What's the Akatsuki, Jiraiya-sama?" asked Chojuro.

"They're a group of S-rank nukenin whose sole goal is to collect the Biju."

That made Naruto stop in his tracks. "N-Nani?! You mean they were after me because of the fox?!"

"Unfortunately," replied Jiraiya.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "So Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke got hurt because of me?"

"Naruto…" started Chojuro, but stopped when Naruto looked up with a look of determination.

"Then I know what I've got to do. I'm going to get stronger so I can protect everyone precious to me! I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me again!"

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at Naruto's declaration. 'So much like his parents.'

Chojuro couldn't help but smile as well. "You won't be the only one getting stronger, Naruto. After that fight with Kisame, I've realized that I have a long way to go as one of the Seven Swordsmen. If I want to defeat him and win back the Samehada, I'll have to become stronger too!"

Naruto gave him a fox-like grin. "Then let's train hard and show everyone what we're made of!"

The two vowed to train hard and become stronger while on this trip. Jiraiya could only shake his head in amusement.

"Alright you two! Enough wasting time! We need to get going if we're going to find Tsunade," said Jiraiya.

Nodding their heads in agreement, Naruto and Chojuro fell in step with Jiraiya as the three of them continued onward to their next destination.

CHAPTER END

-:-

Sorry that it took so long to update and sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than the others. I usually try to keep chapters at around 5,000 to 6,000 words, but I felt that the Itachi introduction should be a separate chapter from the rest of the Search for Tsunade Arc.

In this chapter we got a little bit of character development for Chojuro. I am hoping I can give more for him in future chapters and have hime fight Kisame again as well.

Translations:

Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari – Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind